This course will start with Joseph Campbellâ€™s theory of the Heroâ€™s Journey, but then we will encounter many kinds of heroes and heroic quests on our journey through literary history. We will read and discuss characters that are in conversation with each otherâ€”characters written against or in comparison to those that came before. The stories in this course will be inclusive. We will read tales of sword wielders, magic users, and clever rogues. We will read tales of an ancient man that searches for immortality, an African warrior that leads his tribe, a pregnant barbarian that fights alone as an outcast, and a teenage Muslim superhero that comes to terms with her powers.